Air Namibia leaves passengers’ luggage behind

Staff Reporter

Air Namibia says passengers whose luggage was removed from their flight this morning from Windhoek to Ondangwa because the plane was carrying four tons of jet fuel will receive their belongings this evening.
Passengers on flight SW101 that took off at 07:26 this morning complained that their luggage was left behind. They were only informed about this when they boarded.
According to Air Namibia, the ERJ135 aircraft was initially refuelled to serve the Eros/Rundu route on Wednesday evening, as there is no refuelling service in Rundu.
“However, the Eros to Rundu flight was rescheduled to this afternoon,” the airline said.
“Therefore, the same aircraft was then rescheduled to operate the Eros to Ondangwa route with four tons of fuel.”
Air Namibia said that as a result, due to the passenger weight, four tons of jet fuel and the luggage weight of 330kg, there was weight restriction.
According to the airline one of the three factors needed to be removed for the aircraft to take off. The standard operating procedures allow for luggage to be removed first.
The luggage will be sent this evening and will reach the passengers by 18:30, according to Air Namibia.
“It is our collective responsibility to ensure that we transport passengers in a safe and reliable manner at all times. Safety is at the heart of Air Namibia’s operation, and we proudly abide to the set standard operating procedures by the aircraft manufacturer, the airline and the regulator.”